This invention relates to medical instruments used for cutting and more particularly to an umbilical cord clamp cutter.
Conventional umbilical cord clamp cutter instruments include a cutting blade formed at an end of one handle and a holder notch formed near an end of a second handle. The handles are pivotably connected together in scissors fashion. An umbilical cord clamp to be cut has the notch fitted over it, and the handles are urged toward one another to cut the clamp.
These clamp cutters are typically diecast, machined, riveted, peened and chrome plated. They are expensive and although re-useable, have to be manually cleaned and sterilized between uses. This process of pre-cleaning and disinfecting and/or sterilizing the cutting blades, or blade and anvil, can lead to the laceration of a cleaning technicians"" fingers. To solve this clinical problem the inventors have devised an umbilical cord clamp cutter which is single patient use disposable, at a very low cost, but yet strong enough to cut through the thickest webs of plastic on all umbilical cord clamps on the market without the blades bending, camming, or spreading apart during the cut; or without the clamp and it""s captured umbilical cord stump twisting or tugging relative to the clinician""s chosen, held position of the cutter, as the web cutting action is made.
The present invention provides a low cost, single patient use, disposable umbilical cord clamp cutter that is strong enough to eliminate the camming action and blade spreading that is typically encountered if ordinary low cost cutters (such as scissors and the like) are engaged in an attempt to cut umbilical cord clamps off of infants.
The present invention also provides a wire instrument type of umbilical cord clamp cutter having improved cutting action that does not twist the clamp and the infant""s umbilical stump, relative to the held position of the cutter.
An umbilical cord clamp cutter of the invention includes first and second handle portions. Each handle portion includes a grasping end and a cutting end. The cutting end includes a notch having a cutting edge disposed proximate the terminus of the cutting end. A connector pivotably connects the handle portions between the grasping and cutting ends whereby the notches oppose one another. Movement of the grasping ends toward one another causes the cutting end notches to slide past one another allowing an umbilical cord clamp to be cut, without the umbilical cord stump and clamp rotating, twisting or tugging relative to the held position of cutter.
In a preferred embodiment each notch includes a base and that base includes a bevel defining a cutting edge. The bevel is generally 45xc2x0, but can be more, or less. Further each notch is generally rectangular in shape and the tendency of the cord clamp to be moved relative to one end or the other during the cutting is eliminated.
A method of cutting an umbilical cord clamp includes the steps of:
positioning the web of an umbilical cord clamp to be cut between opposed notches in cutting ends of an umbilical cord clamp cutter including pivotably connected first and second handle portions having grasping ends extending from the cutting ends; and
moving the grasping ends toward one another to cause the cutting end notches to slide past one another and cut the umbilical cord clamp.
The step of the cutter inherently holding and stabilizing the umbilical cord clamp in the notches of the cutter in such a way that when the cut through the web is made, the clamp and umbilical stump is not twisted and tugged relative to the clinician""s held position of the cutter.